I have had Living Room designs on my mind a lot lately. Not only am I planning my own in our new home, but I have been designing a beautiful Living Room for a client. My focus has been on creating soft and neutral spaces for both of us, and today I thought I would share three tips for decorating a neutral space and two different moodboard collages.
Fabric
When I am designing a neutral look, I start with furniture pieces in a light and neutral fabric, usually gray. It's like a blank canvas and is so versatile for many different styles.
Once the upholstered furniture pieces are selected, it's time to think about adding some other textiles like throw pillows and blankets. The key to a neutral design is to stick to a more monochromatic look. To keep it from falling too flat, I look to add interest and dimension using a few different fabric types - think linen, velvet, faux fur...these are just a few examples!
In the West elm design board below, you will see a great example of this with the throw pillows in the design.
Add Warmth
To keep things feeling cozy, add in some warm wood tones, woven materials and/or a caramel leather. I recently purchased a leather ottoman as a coffee table and you can see how it really warms up our neutral room
I have a woven basket pretty much in every room of my home, and I use them to store blankets and to hold my faux plants.
A natural wood tone instantly adds warmth to any space, as you can see in my Formal Living Room.
Plants and Flowers
I love including nods to nature in every room. The last thing I make sure to layer into every space I design is some greenery. Faux stems in a white vase look good in any space.
Plants add some color and life to a neutral room and keep it from feeling too flat and boring.
While I love fresh flowers and treat myself to a cheap and cheerful grocery store bouquet from time to time, there are also some really beautiful faux flowers out there. Here is an example of each: on the left we have some faux peonies and eucalyptus from my favorite local shop called Trims. On the right is a simple vase of grocery store carnations.
Adding a vase of fresh flowers to a room is always a good idea!
Now that I have shared some of my tips and tricks with you, let's see how I put them into action in the two different designs below!
Look #1 - Budget-friendly Living Room Design
It is such a heartbreak that us Canadians don't have access to Target...until the border opens, and then look out! I had fun putting together this fun Living Room Design Plan using only items from the Studio McGee for Target line. This is definitely the direction I will be heading with my new Living Room once our house is completed.
Sources: side chairs / rug / sofa / coffee table / side table / mirror / artwork / faux tree / blue throw pillow / lumbar pillow
In this design, I picked a neutral color palette of indigo blue, gray and off-white. I used subtle patterns in the same color scheme to add some interest.
I chose warm and light wood tones for the coffee table, accent table, chairs and even the sofa base. Adding greenery is a must, and this faux potted tree from Target looks beautiful!
Look #2 - Neutral Living Room Design
Last week I was visiting West Elm shopping for a project and there was a room set-up on the floor that just gave me all the feels. I shared it on my instagram feed and my followers loved it too!
I went home and looked up the main pieces I had seen in store and then added in some additional favorite items to create this moodboard collage:
Sources: sectional / coffee table / side table / accent chair / rug / lamp / artwork / shelves
What I really loved about this design was the monochromatic scheme for the throw pillows. In the store they were all off-white and creamy colors and it just looked so serene! Just like the first design, I used wood tones to create warmth and of course added in a plant on the coffee table for some life.
Do you have a favorite look? Would you go with 1 or 2?
In summary here are my top 3 tips for creating a cozy neutral Living Room space, be sure to pin it for future reference!
If you are looking for some decorating help, check out my One Room Design Package, which is available virtually! Inquires can be sent to khansen@littlenestdesign.com
Thanks so much for reading!
xo, Kerri